Shi Nian Blocked in His Path

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Yu Chenglong felt his head buzzing as his vision began to blur. Even his whole body seemed hazy.

Steady his breath and focus his mind. Adjust his breathing!

That was all Yu Chenglong could do.

The soul bone slowly began to fuse...

Who knew how much time passed before a fiery red glow appeared in the east.

The crimson sun revealed half its face and gradually rose higher.

The morning sun was rising. A new day had arrived.

Yu Chenglong slowly opened his eyes as an eerie green glint flashed through them.

Like Yu Chenglong, a green gleam flashed in Nightmare's eyes, and the aura around its round body rose.

Nightmare was Yu Chenglong's martial soul, born of the same body. As Yu Chenglong grew stronger, Nightmare naturally grew stronger as well!

The Demon Tumor Tree head soul bone had fused successfully!

Not only had this Demon Tumor Tree skull changed Yu Chenglong's temperament, filling his body with an eerie, dangerous aura.

It had also greatly enhanced the attributes of his two soul rings!

Yu Chenglong's First Soul Skill had originally been Green Tumor Poison Mist. Now, that Green Tumor Poison Mist had evolved into Demon Tumor Poison Mist!

Moreover, the fusion of the Demon Tumor Tree head soul bone had increased the toxic effects of Demon Tumor Poison Mist by two hundred percent!

It made poisoned victims more prone to Soul Power leakage, farting, and diarrhea. Two hundred percent was no small increase!

In other words, the Demon Tumor Poison Mist of Yu Chenglong's two soul skills was now equally potent!

It was more than one or two times better than the original Green Tumor Poison Mist!

Besides that, Yu Chenglong had also gained a skill attached to the Demon Tumor Tree head soul bone: Demon Tumor Eye Gaze.

The skill attached to the Demon Tumor Tree head soul bone: Demon Tumor Eye Gaze.

When activated, his eyes became eerie. As long as he met the opponent's gaze, he could strike them.

If the opponent's mental strength and Soul Power were insufficient, once they were hit by Yu Chenglong's soul bone skill, they would fart, suffer diarrhea, and experience massive Soul Power leakage!

Of course, Demon Tumor Eye Gaze, the skill attached to the Demon Tumor Tree skull, consumed an enormous amount of energy. Each use consumed one-fifth of his Soul Power.

Unless it was a matter of life and death, Yu Chenglong would not use it lightly.

First, the consumption was too great. Second, he feared exposing the soul bone and being hunted down.

"Little Dream!"

Yu Chenglong called out to Nightmare.

The plump Nightmare understood and leaped into Yu Chenglong's arms.

"We actually succeeded in obtaining a soul bone. We're not trash, sob sob."

"We're not trash!"

Holding Nightmare, Yu Chenglong recalled all the hardship and mockery along the way. Two streams of tears poured down his face and ran toward his chest.

A long while later.

Yu Chenglong gathered his thoughts.

His eyes, blurred and dampened by tears, regained their determination and resolve. It was as if a towering mountain stood in the distance, yet he was confident he could flatten it beneath his feet.

"Little Dream, come on. Let's thank our powerful benefactor again!"

Yu Chenglong said as he stroked Nightmare's round head.

Then.

Yu Chenglong brought Nightmare back to the completely dead Demon Tumor Tree.

"For the gift of the soul ring! For the gift of the soul bone! If this boy ever achieves anything in the future, I will certainly repay you properly!"

"Peerless expert, you are the greatest benefactor of my life!"

Bang! Bang! Bang—

Bang! Bang! Bang—

Yu Chenglong kowtowed dozens of times in succession toward the Demon Tumor Tree and Du Bai, the hidden expert deep within Sunset Forest. Each kowtow was fiercer and heavier than the last!

Who knew how long passed.

Yu Chenglong had smashed a pit into the soil with his forehead.

His forehead had split open as well, blood streaming across his face and making the youth look terrifying.

"Little Dream, one must never forget one's roots. We must know gratitude. We have become stronger, very strong, all thanks to that peerless expert!"

"Though that peerless expert may have done it unintentionally, we have received enormous kindness from him. He is our greatest benefactor!"

"Do you understand, Little Dream?"

Yu Chenglong spoke to Nightmare as though teaching a child.

Nightmare nodded, blinking its gentle pale-blue eyes as if it understood. It knew, it knew.

Yu Chenglong remembered the wounds Du Bai's attacks had inflicted on soul beasts—bloody holes the size of thumbs. They would be easy to recognize.

If he encountered a soul master with such an attack method in the future, that person would surely be his powerful benefactor!

The sky had fully brightened.

On the other side of Sunset Forest.

Du Bai and Bibi Dong had already packed up camp and set off once more.

"Today, we'll advance toward the central region of Sunset Forest. Perhaps there are soul beasts over fifty thousand years old there!"

Du Bai said to Bibi Dong.

Soul beasts over fifty thousand years old liked to roam the central region of the inner forest.

Moreover, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was also located in the central region of Sunset Forest.

Yesterday, Du Bai had mostly wandered around the outer areas of the inner forest. Today, he planned to advance toward the center.

"Alright!"

Bibi Dong nodded and followed Du Bai's arrangements.

Bibi Dong knew that Du Bai's destination on this trip was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, so she actively cooperated with him and followed his ideas.

And so, Du Bai and Bibi Dong advanced toward the central region.

Of course, there was no avoiding weapons practice.

While some people advanced inward, others naturally wanted to flee outward.

Shi Nian was one of those fleeing outward.

After a night of rest and recovery, Shi Nian was in much better condition than yesterday.

Yet he still looked extremely disheveled, as though he had gone through a battle.

Shi Nian raced through Sunset Forest, but three figures suddenly blocked his path ahead.

The three figures consisted of two elderly people and one young girl, blocking his way.

The elderly pair were husband and wife, while the young girl was their granddaughter.

Before those two elders and the girl, Shi Nian stopped quite obediently.

Seeing the four-meter dragon staff, three-meter serpent cane, and two-meter serpent cane in their hands.

Shi Nian's pupils contracted.

"Peerless Dragon Snake."

Shi Nian laughed bitterly inwardly. He had been blocked by this elderly couple.

At his peak, Shi Nian could still have escaped.

But now, the great battle had only just ended, and he had run all this way. His Soul Power had not yet fully recovered.

Shi Nian did not dare run, because he could not be sure whether his body could withstand the Dragon Snake Strike of the Peerless Dragon Snake couple.

"Boy, you're flustered and in such a sorry state. Did something happen?"

Dragon Duke Meng Shu asked imposingly, gripping his four-meter dragon staff.

Shi Nian gave a bitter smile. He was already over fifty, only ten or twenty years younger than the Dragon Duke before him.

Yet Meng Shu was calling him boy, leaving him feeling bitter and displeased.

"I merely encountered a seventy-thousand-year soul beast."

Shi Nian shook his head.

"Nonsense. Boy, where are your seven students?"

Dragon Duke Meng Shu frowned sharply.

Before entering Sunset Forest, Meng Shu had happened to see Shi Nian bringing seven students into the forest to hunt soul beasts.

Shi Nian froze for a moment. It seemed the other party had seen him while he had been resupplying at the edge of the forest before bringing his students in for training.

"They... were eaten by soul beasts. I was about to return and report to the academy. I ask that you let me leave, Senior."

Shi Nian gritted his teeth, appearing as though he truly wished to leave.

The fourth update is here! Happy holidays, everyone! Whether you're reading this in the morning, afternoon, or evening, good morning, good afternoon, and good evening! Make sure to be happy! And while I'm at it, little old me is begging all you dear readers for some votes!